A Careless Man's Careful Daughter
by Granger-Danger-62442
Summary: Yet another one-shot based off of the Taylor Swift song "Mine." What can I say? The song fits too well for it's own good.


I'll put the long-winded ramble at the end for ya. Save you some time. ^.^ And this is completely un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine!

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN CASTLE... yet. 3

* * *

Sunlight streams in through the windows, bathing the apartment in a golden glow. Somewhere in the distance a car horn blares angrily, and several more answer in response. Otherwise the city is surprisingly still for a Saturday morning. The only sound that permeates through the room is the faint murmur of a TV with the volume turned almost all the way down. However the unnatural silence is the furthest thing from Kate Beckett's mind at the moment. Slowly, she lets her eyes drift open before blearily glancing at the digital clock on the TV. She panics for a moment as she views the small nine and the zeroes that follow, before her orders from Montgomery drift back to her. The Captain had sent her home early the previous day, claiming that she required some bizarre activity by the name of sleep in order to function properly. Despite her protests, he'd threatened to fire her if she so much as called the precinct before the weekend was over. Go figure.

Granted, she _was _tired. It had been particularly grueling, the case they'd just closed, and as much as she hated to admit it, the rest would do her good. Figuring that her exhaustion had led to her falling asleep with the TV on, she shifts slightly, vaguely recalling that her couch had _never _been this comfortable. Or warm. Gathering her wits, Beckett attempts to stand only to find her action hindered by an arm that was snaked around her waist, and the weight one the top of her head that she hadn't noticed before. As she recalls the rest of the events from the previous night, she sighs in exasperation.

Great.

_**I say, "Can you believe it?"**_

_**As we're lying on the couch **_

_**The moment I can see it**_

_**Yes, yes, **_

_**I can see it now**_

_**

* * *

**_

_With a sigh, Kate Beckett unlocks her apartment door and slips inside. Kicking it closed behind her, she shrugs out of her jacket and toes her shoes off by the door. It'd been a long day, ending with her team finally catching a break in their case. With it they had been able to track down the location of their prime suspect._

_Although for Beckett, actually _catching_ the man consisted of chasing him through New York over seven blocks, before turning into an alleyway, only to see him holding a gun to Castle's head. Although he went with her on these busts more and more often these days, this one had unanimously been deemed far too dangerous, and thus the writer had been banished to the car._

_Left to sulk, he had apparently been struck with inspiration involving cramped alleyways and smelly dumpsters, courtesy of the Higher Ups. Not wanting to question the Universe, he'd left his sanctuary and gone to conduct some 'research'. Unfortunately for him, the suspect had been blessed with similar insights, and Castle had found himself once again on the wrong end of a gun. Thankfully Beckett had found them before things got ugly, and had been able to talk the suspect down long enough for Esposito to sneak around and disarm him. _

_That alone wouldn't have been too bad - although that especially strong pang Beckett had felt when she'd seen the man threatening her partner was certainly something new - if not for the case itself. Different time, different story, but still too close for comfort; the mother of a 19-year-old girl had been killed in a hit and run, leaving the daughter to tend to her grief-stricken father. These types of cases always hit Beckett the worst of all, and sometimes she needed space to just escape._

_Not in the mood then to even consider Esposito's offer of case-closed drinks; she'd headed back to her apartment to retire for the night and deal with the case the best way she knew how: ordering in._

_And order in she did. Cartons of various Thai foods littered the coffee table in front of her as she reclines comfortably on her couch. Leaning forward to take a sip of her almost empty wine glass –she'll have to buy some more of that the next time she was at the store; she was almost out- Beckett flips through the channels on her television trying to find a halfway decent show. _

_She's barely begun her quest when she hears a knock on her door. Groaning in annoyance, Beckett rises to answer it. Knowing that only one person would be visiting her at this late of an hour, she barely glances through the peephole before sliding the chain back and opening the door._

"_And to what do I owe this lovely visit at o-dark-thirty?"_

_His smart remark dies in his throat as he blinks down in surprise at the detective: without her insane heels on she's quite a bit shorter than him. Waiting for a response, Beckett is met with a momentous event: Richard Castle at a loss for words. Having not been expecting company for the night, she'd changed into more comfortable clothes before settling in. Her idea of comfortable clothes consisting of sweat pants and a tank top that was probably not very well suited for company. At the moment however, she is enjoying the writer's momentary brain lapse too much to care. Leaning against the doorframe and fighting back a grin, she watches him mouth words as he tries to regain his train of thought. Eventually though she takes pity on him in the form of a light kick to the shin._

"_Ow!" _

_She rolls her eyes as his drama, but the idea seems to work. Grinning sheepishly he proffers the bottle in his hands towards her. _

"_Wine?"_

* * *

She hadn't even hesitated to let the writer in, and she couldn't say she was surprised. They'd been growing closer over the last few months, and often spent time together outside of work. Besides, Castle made for excellent company. He'd brought her wine, easily teased laughs out of her, and, miraculously, even managed to keep his innuendos to a pleasant minimum. The case had taken its toll on her, and he'd helped her to wind down. Knowing this had probably been his goal in the first place, as well as apologizing for getting captured yet _again_, she couldn't help but smile slightly at the sentiment. The conversation had run its course and they'd lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Realizing that they must have both drifted off at some point, Beckett's thoughts catch up to the present day. She can't help but notice that Castles arm has imperceptibly tightened around her waist, effectively pinning her in place.

Deciding that she most likely wouldn't be moving anytime soon, she reaches for the remote sitting next to her hoping to take her mind off her current… predicament.

Turning up the television slightly, Beckett notices that it's still on the music channel that had been the mutual agreement from the night before. Moving to change it, her hand stops when she recognizes the song playing. It is the same song that Castle had said belonged to Alexis and her boyfriend. At the time she had approved of the song; she had a bit of a soft spot for the artist, though she'd die rather than admit. The song had also fit rather well, much to Castle's chagrin and her amusement. Now, as Beckett listens closer, she realizes that the song could, in a way, also be applied to her.

_**I was the flight risk with the fear of falling**_

_**Wondering why we bothered with love if it never lasts**_

Beckett ponders that for a moment. She certainly was guarded with her heart –and with good reason to be. Her mother's death had taken its toll on her younger self, and had caused barriers to be built up, protecting her heart from further harm. The barriers had evolved over the years, and were now akin to something like a fortress. The fiasco with Will had only caused some barbed wire to be added to the top of those walls, with a couple searchlights thrown in for good measure.

If you didn't let people get close to you, then you couldn't get hurt.

That had been her mantra for most of her life. Beckett knows it isn't logical, stupid even, but she doesn't think her heart can handle another crack. Sure, she'd dated other men, Tom and Josh being the most recent, but she's always checked herself before things got too serious, before things got too dangerous. They were both good people; there was no doubt about that, and she had been happy with them. They were safe. When the relationships had ended, she'd been disappointed for sure, but she'd also been able to pick herself up and move on rather easily.

Beckett pauses in her thoughts for a moment as Castle shift slightly in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent. To her relief she feels him relax again almost immediately, and her thoughts turn to the man in question.

Castle: annoying playboy with the attention span of a nine-year-old and the sugar rush to boot. The womanizer-with-commitment-issues. The flirt-with-anything-wearing-a-skirt. Kate hesitated for a moment as she thought about the version of the man she'd just described. It wasn't exactly fair. That image he portrayed, that act; that wasn't the man she knew.

The Castle _she_ knew had a daughter and mother who he adored, and who adored him in return.

The Castle _she_ knew played laser tag, helped with homework, and played a mean game of poker.

The Castle _she _knew was annoying at times, but that was greatly overshadowed by the rest of his qualities. He was also intelligent, kind, and fiercely protective of his friends and family.

The Castle _she_ knew was the one she…

Her thoughts are cut off when the volume on the television suddenly spiked. Panicking, she lunges the remote her elbow had been leaning on and hastily hits the button to decrease the sound. Checking to make sure that her couch-mate was indeed still dead to the world, she relaxes slightly.

_**You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter**_

Beckett ponders the accuracy of the words. While her father wasn't exactly careless, his brief stint with alcohol after her mother's death _had_ strained their relationship almost to the breaking point. Fortunately for the both of them, she had been able to assist in his recovery, and fences were mended before their relationship had gotten past the point of no return.

However, when referring to Kate Beckett, the word careful was an understatement. She was the first one into the office in the morning, and the last one to leave. She needled and picked at every little detail in the hardest cases, until she snagged a thread and the whole thing unraveled for her.

With a wistful smile, her mind drifts back to a conversation she'd had with Lanie a few years ago.

* * *

_With a growl of frustration Beckett storms to the elevator and jabs the arrow pointing down with her finger, causing many a curious glance to be cast her way. _

_This was _all his fault_._

_He'd only been with her team for a few hours, and she'd already had enough of that incorrigible man. That was if that_ thing_ could even be considered a man; he had the maturity of a twelve year old. It was after hours, so she's relieved to see a light glowing from under the door leading to Dr. Parish's examination room at the end of the hallway._

_Barging into the room without even bothering to knock, she slams the door behind her. Turning to meet her friend's raised eyebrow, she offers a slightly sheepish smile, some of her anger abating._

"_Hey. Want to grab a drink?"_

_If possible, the eyebrow rises even higher, and Beckett winces internally. Lanie was the only one who ever seemed brave enough to call BS when she heard it. Which probably explained why they were best friends._

"_Getting a drink with me after work instead of getting your freak on with writer boy?" Lanie's tone holds thinly veiled disbelief._

_Beckett hesitates for a moment, weighing her odds. Deciding that playing dumb is far safer than any excuse she could come up with, she lets her breath out is a large whoosh. "What?" she exclaims. "He is annoying, self-centered, egotistical and completely- "_

"_Fun!" Lanie interrupts the rant. "And take it from me girlfriend, you need some fun. I mean, how bad can he be?"_

_As if in cue Beckett's cell phone begins to ring. Glancing down at the caller ID, she has to suppress a moan of annoyance. Snapping it open, she hits the button for speakerphone._

"_Beckett." She barks impatiently._

_Castle sounds beside himself with excitement: "Guess who's got a date with a prostitute?"_

_The M.E sniggers silently, and promptly steers the bewildered Detective to the door and out of her exam room. She knows that her girl will figure it out eventually, but if she takes too long Lanie may just have to take matters into her own hands._

_

* * *

_

Snapping out of her daydream, Beckett notices with amusement that the song is still emanating from the television. Although due to her slight daydream she seems to have missed a couple verses. Wriggling around in Castle's seemingly iron like grip, she settles in to listen.

_**Flash forward and we're taking on the world together**_

_**And there's a drawer of my things at your place**_

_**You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded**_

_**You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes**_

Beckett can't help the slow grin that sneaks onto her face. Times certainly _had_ changed since then. To go from cringing inwardly at the sight of him, to this- she glances up at the man using her as a human pillow- was a huge leap, even if it hadn't been intentional.

Through all the years they'd worked together, Castle had slowly but surely wormed his way into her heart. He'd broken down all her walls, and as hastily as she tried to reconstruct them, nothing seemed to slow him down. He'd gotten closer to her in those few years of friendship than most people did, well, ever. It both terrified and exhilarated her.

They'd worked so well together all this time, building theory and sharing insight, that Beckett had almost forgotten that he wasn't actually a cop. His insights, while oftentimes a little extreme, offered a fresh viewpoint on their cases. As much as she hates to admit it, Castle makes her a better at what she does. He forces her to think outside the box, and look at the problem from different angles.

He was her partner, in every sense of the word except the one that seemed to matter the most. She shoves that particular thought away rather roughly however, and focuses once more on the song.

_**I remember that fight; 2:30 AM**_

_**Said everything was slipping right out of our hands**_

_**I ran out crying, and you followed me out into the street**_

Her stomach knots as she recalls a similar event occurring not too long ago, one that could have ended quite badly due to both of their stupidity.

* * *

_She and Castle are working late at the precinct one night on a particularly difficult case. Not her mother's, not this time, but that doesn't make the situation any better or any less stressful. _

_They'd been after this serial killer for over two weeks now, never get any closer. Each time a body would appear, they knew it was from him because there would be a note. Taunting them, goading them into catching him before he could kill again. This was made worse by the fact that the two partners had been at each other's throats the entire case. _

_It had started when Castle refused to stay in the car leading to yet another close call. Beckett had been furious, telling him that her job was hard enough without having to worry about some civilian getting in the way. _

_She told herself that the dizzying relief she'd felt seeing him in one piece had absolutely nothing to do with her anger. _

_Castle, not one to be outdone, had shot back, inciting her further. Things had only escalated from there, leading to a frosty silence between the two the rest of the case. _

_They had virtually no leads, and even less time until the next victim. The tense atmosphere coupled with the general lack of sleep was leaving both of their nerves a little worse for wear._

_Beckett perches on the edge of her desk, back rigid with concentration, staring intently at the murder board as if by watching she can force it to cough up its answers. Castle sits in what has come to be known as his chair, observing quietly. Only instead of glaring holes in the murder board, he is watching her. _

_He watches her as her hands clench, knuckles turning white; as her lips purse in an effort to restrain the growl of frustration he knows is clawing at the back of her throat. He knows how deeply this case is affecting her, and each time a body drops he sees her eyes dim just a little in defeat. But in a typical Beckett manner, she seems not to notice and pushes on. Castle doesn't need detective skills to see that she's running herself ragged._

_She can feel his eyes on her, concerned despite their feud, but right now she doesn't need his sympathy. Right now she needs him to focus on catching this monster and putting him away._

"_Castle!" she barks out, causing him to jump slightly at the sudden loss of silence. "Got anything you'd like to share with the class?"_

_He raises an eyebrow at her tone. "Yeah actually, I do." He rises from his chair and moves around to her side of the desk. Instead of stopping next to Beckett however, he turns so that his body is directly in front of hers, blocking her view of the murder board. He doesn't expand on his comment, simply staring at the floor between them until she rolls her eyes. She had a feeling she knows where this is headed, and she doesn't particularly want to have this conversation at the moment._

"_Seriously Castle, spit it out. I've got work to do." _

"_Fine then." He meets her eyes. "Why are you still here?" At her confused stare, he elaborates. "Why are you still here running yourself into the ground when you know full well that you should be at home, asleep. That you can come in and see it with fresh eyes in the morning." He turns away to gesture at the few pictures dotting the murder board to prove his point. "We're obviously not getting anywhere now." _

_She narrows her eyes at him, and crosses her arms over her chest. "Go home."_

"_I'll leave when you do."_

_Cursing under her breath, she argues back. "Seriously Castle? You're doing this now? I've told you and everyone else who's asked that I'm _fine_! I don't need someone to babysit me!"_

_He takes in her disheveled appearance and the dark rings under her eyes. _

_The way she's clutching her sides like she's about to fall apart because maybe, she is._

"_Really Detective?" He questions, both eyebrows going up in disbelief. "Could have fooled me." He doesn't want to say it, but if it'll get her mad enough at him to go home and rest, he figures it's worth the bodily harm she may inflict._

_Beckett lets out a strangled laugh. "Oh, you're right! I'm so sorry that I'm not up to your usual standards today! Next time I'll try to wear less clothing, and maybe then you'll feel better." She doesn't know why she's being so mean, and under other circumstances she'd feel terrible. But at the moment she's too out of it to care._

_Castle eyes flash, but he ignores the jab; getting her ticked had been his goal in the first place. He knows it's the anger and exhaustion talking, not Beckett. Instead, he rolls his eyes and stalks away from the desk before spinning to face her. "God Beckett! I knew you were stubborn but this? This is just stupid. You're not helping anyone by staying here and killing yourself! I may as well leave; all we're managing to do is waste time and energy. I should be home, writing. You know, something I actually get paid to do?" Now it's _his_ temper that's getting the best of him, but it's too late to take back the angry words now._

_Beckett can feel the angry tears prickling at the back her eyes, but she fights them back. "Fine, leave then! All you're doing is being a nuisance! I'm sorry if saving some innocent person's life is unappealing to you, but unfortunately, someone has to do it. If being stuck here with me is such a burden to you then just go!" _

_Castle isn't sure if she's talking about this case or something else entirely, but before he can clarify she storms to the elevator and punches the down button, the doors closing in front of her. Leaning her head against the cool metal, she lets the frustrated tears fall._

_**Brace myself for the goodbye**_

_**Because it's all I've ever known**_

_**But you took me by surprise,**_

_**You said, "I'll never leave you alone"**_

_The second the elevator hits the ground floor Beckett flies out the doors. Ignoring several concerned glances cast in her direction she walked quickly out the building and into the chilly evening where she pauses, breathing deeply. She wasn't sure where she was going; she just knew she had to get out of the 12__th__. _

_What had caused her to react so strongly she wasn't sure, but she knew that it couldn't be blamed solely on the case. She'd had plenty of tough ones before, and they'd never caused her to lose control of her emotions so drastically. So what was different about this one? The fact that someone had actually noticed how stressed she was and had the guts to call her out on it? Or was it simply that the one person that was _supposed_ to be on her side was the one causing her problems? _

_She's dragged out of her thoughts when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Spinning around, Beckett's hand flies to her hip until she catches sight of the culprit. Relaxing only slightly, she swipes the back of her hand across her face half-heartedly, her anger already beginning to fade. _

"_What now Castle?" _

_It's curt, but there's no malice in the statement, only weariness. It looked like her original evaluation of him was starting to come true. He was going to be just like all the others; showing up and weaseling his way into her heart, only to disappear, leaving a gaping hole in his wake that couldn't ever be filled. The hurtful things she'd just shouted at him had been the last straw. She's tired of the same holding pattern that they've been stuck in, and had hoped, somewhere in the recesses of her heart, that they'd been making progress._

_Little did she know he'd been praying for the same thing._

_Castle sighs, running a hand through his already disheveled hair as he searches for an appropriate answer. Finding none, he goes with the simplest._

"_I'm sorry."_

_Beckett's startled by the sincerity of his tone. Of all the things she'd expected seeing him behind her, an apology had not been one of them._

_Taking her silence as a sign she isn't going to immediately hurt him, Castle presses on. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that, it was uncalled for. I knew how hard this case was hitting you, and honestly? I was just trying to get you pissed enough to go home." _

_Mumbling something else under his breath, Beckett catches the words, "…because _some people_ refuse to take care of themselves," and can't help how her lips quirk up slightly at the sides._

"_But I do want you to know," Castle continues, "that a few angry words aren't going to be enough to get rid of me. Now matter how much you may want them to." He takes a step forward, bending slightly so that he can look her in the eyes._

"_I'm your partner Kate." He states simply. "That means I'm with you 'til the wheels fall off, no matter how bad things get." _

_Beckett feels her breath hitch slightly at the words, and has to blink rather rapidly to get rid of her blurry vision._

_The silence blankets them once more as she bites her lip and continues to stare at slightly nervous man in front of her. Then her eyes light up, as if coming to a decision. She swiftly steps forward and pulls the startled writer into a tight hug. Slightly confused, his arms tighten around her, and she buries her head in his chest. Unconsciously he brings his hand up to stroke through her hair._

_They stand like that for a while, neither of them moving until Beckett starts to say something, voice muffled by his -now slightly damp- shirt._

_Castle pulls away slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Come again?"_

"_I said, I'm sorry too." She gazes up at him. "It wasn't fair of me to unload on you like that."_

_He shakes his head. "Don't be, I'm pretty sure I deserved it. Besides if anyone should be sorry it's me."_

_She rolls her eyes, some of the humor coming back to them, and smacks him lightly on the chest. "Castle I am NOT playing the apology game with you."_

_He simply smiles in response, which she returns in full. Neither of them seems to notice the several faces pressed up against the precinct windows, breathing sighs of relief._

_

* * *

_

A groan brings Beckett back. She watches as Castle yawns widely, still not completely awake.

After a brief internal struggle, she comes one simple conclusion. She'd been considering all her thoughts, her feelings. She'd weighed all of her options; the pros, cons, and risks. Finally, she'd just said to hell with it and admitted what everyone else had known since day one: Kate Beckett had it bad.

Consequences be damned, she was in love with the man currently using her as a human pillow. The only scary part was that the fact that it _wasn't _scary.

Shifting slightly to alert Castle to her presence, she watches as he blinks down at her, puzzled. Beckett sees the remembrance dawn in his eyes, and patiently waits for a response. Getting none, she jabs him sharply.

"Ow!" He disentangles his arm from around her to nurse his wound, and Beckett uses it as her chance to pull away. She misses his warmth immediately, and from the look in his eyes he's having similar thoughts. Knowing there's a strong possibility that if she doesn't get away now she'll wind up here all day, she stands up and offers him a hand.

Taking it, he lets her pull him to his feet. Standing up too fast causes all the blood to rush to his head however, and lurches forward, grabbing Beckett in support. He's surprised when she doesn't back away, and even more when she reaches up to run her fingers through his hair, smoothing down some of the more unruly bits.

At his perplexed gaze, Beckett lets out a laugh and pulls away. Castle stares at her as she starts to move towards the stairs. He's still waiting for her to come to her sense and either A; physically hurt him and shove him out the door, or B; become mortally embarrassed and shove him out the door. Neither occurs.

"I don't know about you Castle, but I could really go for some breakfast. What do you say I go shower and then we can head off to Remy's?" Still slightly confused at the interesting events, but not about to complain, he shakes himself back to reality.

"Really Detective? Are you sure you couldn't use some help in there?" He grins cheekily at her.

Blushing in spite of herself, Beckett rolls her eyes. "In your dreams writer boy."

"Oh more times than you could ever-OW!"

Smirking at him and releasing her death grip on his ear, Beckett heads off to change.

At the top of the stairs, she turns around.

"Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"Eyes up."

"Duly noted."

_**I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter.**_

_**She is the best thing that's ever been mine**_.

FIN

* * *

Hi there! So yea, I attempted my first song-fic! Not entirely sure how well it went length wise, (4,056 words ftw!) because I feel like it sort of rambles on in parts. I'm pleased with it though. The idea for the song isn't a new one, but great minds think alike neh? Plus I got this idea FOREVER ago but when I started it I got horribly stuck. So it's been sitting in a little corner on my desktop, all by it's lonesome because I never have any time to write. Which is why I am EVER SO THANKFUL for the snow-pocalypse that hit most of the Midwest. One day of school a week? I could get used to this. And on that note, I'll stop blathering on and let you get back to your lives.

That is, after you press that lovely little button right below... See it? You know you want to... ;)


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